Baseball head protector



June 21, 1938.

E. LARKIN BASEBALL HEAD PROTECTOR Original Filed Oct, 26, 1932 Patented June 21, 1938 UNITE-D STATES PATENT QFFiCE Substitute for application Serial October 26, 1932. This applicationAugust 10, 1937, Serial No. 158,412

2 Claims.

The invention relates to a protector for baseball players, and more particularly to a protector which is worn by batters when in danger of being struck on the vital portions of the head eX- 5 posed to oncoming balls.

An object of the invention is to provide a protector which is so constructed as to fully protect the temporal, parietal, malar and occipital` bones.

A further object is to provide a protector l which is light, effective and durable, consisting of a flexible pneumatic cushioning covering, contacting with the head of the player.

A still further feature of the invention is to provide a protector of the above type which is l adaptable for usage by either right or lefthanded batters, and through its elasticity will fit various sizes of heads.

These and other objects will hereinafter be more fully disclosed.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side View of a batters head showing one form of head protector wherein one inflated cell is used.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of a head protector showing a slight modification of Figure 2.

This application is a substitute for application Serial No. 639,689, filed October 26, 1932.

The invention relates broadlyfto a protector for baseball batters which is of flexible pneumatic cushioning covering adapted to contact directly with the head of the player. The protector is so designed and constructed as to fully protect the temporal, parietal, malar and occipital bones, which, if struck by a speedy oncoming ball, might endanger the life of the batter. It is` a well known fact that batters become shy of hard pitched balls because of the danger of io being struck, and it is believed that by providing such a head covering, as proposed in this invention, a great improvement will be seen in their hitting ability. The inventor is well aware that heavy iron or wire masks, similar in con- 45 struction to those used by catchers, have been designed for this purpose, but it is believed that the light, durable, pneumatic head covering as embodied in this invention is a great improvement over the common type in use.

50 Referring more in detail to the drawing which shows by way of illustration several forms of the invention, Figures l, 2, and 3 show a pneumatic head covering made in a single unit. The protector itself is in the form of a turban l, having 55 an opening la at the crown thereof which snugly Cil fits the head of the wearer and consists of an outer non-elastic covering 2 made of canvas or other suitable material, and an inner inflatable elastic member or bladder 3. It will be obvious from they drawing that when the bladder is 5 inflated within the conning limits of the outer casing a pneumatic cushion for the entire head will be provided. The turban as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 may have its outer canvas casing drawn in at spaced intervals to form the parallel 10 ribs 4, if so desired. This is merely a matter of design and not important to the invention as the ribs Icould be omitted and the canvas made in smooth contour as illustrated in Figure 3. The valve 5 may be disposed in any suitable loca- 15 tion to inate the casing, and an opening in the canvas for insertion of the bladder (not shown) may be provided with suitable lacings for closing the same in the well known manner. A visor 6 may or may not be attached to the front of the 20 protector if desired to shield the batters eyes from the sun. It will be noted that the formation of the head protector is such that it ts tightly over the forehead of the wearer and in a diagonal line to the lowermost portion of his 25 neck, thus making a snug iit and avoiding the use of a cumbersome chin strap. In the form illustrated in Figures 1 andv 2 the turban or protector is held on wholly by its own elasticity, but

if desired as illustrated in Figure 3 an elastic 30 band 'l may be used to which the inner walls of the casing may be attached by means of the straps 8 to more tightly make the protector t the contour of the head. In either case it will be noted that the formation of the head protector is such that it adequately guards the vital temporal region T, the parietal region P, and the occipital region O, as well as the ears of the batter.

From the above it will be seen that a head 40 protector is provided wherein a canvas or other material outer covering is inflated by one or more bladders to form a flexible pneumatic cushioning covering which -contacts with the head of the player guarding the vital bones of the head, and heldin place by its own elasticity. It may be further seen that the protector is adaptable for use for either right or left-handed batters, and that through the elasticity of the pneumatic construction or in the case where the elastic band itself is used and the pneumatic units attached thereto, the whole protector will be adaptable for players having different head sizes.

While I have shown in Figure 3 an elastic band attached to the casing for giving increased elasticity to the head protector, it will be understood that other forms of yielding devices might be used, such as a strip of steel, whalebone or the like. Whatever the means is that may be used, it provides a construction of head protector which is held in place with its own elasticity and without the use of chin straps or the like.

It is also understood that minor details in construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A baseball head protector comprising an outer non-elastic casing encircling the head of the player having an opening at the crown of the head, straps extending crosswise of the casing on its inner face, an elastic band passing between each of said straps and the adjacent portion of the casing and encircling the head of the wearer, said casing having a chamber covering the temporal, parietal and occipital bones and a single cell inflatable member adapted to fit within said chamber so that when inated within the confining limits of the outer casing a pneumatic cushioning will be provided for the head, thus protecting the vital parts thereof.

2. A baseball head protector comprising an annular non-elastic casing of substantially uniform cross section encircling the head of the player and having an opening at the crown of the head, said annular casing having a single chamber extending throughout its entire circumferential and lateral limits, said casing being dimensioned so as to cover the temporal, parietal and occipital bones, and a one-piece inatable elastic member of substantial thickness disposed within said chamber and extending throughout the entire limits thereof and filling the same, said elastic memberrwhen inflated causing the casing to conform to the head whereby the protector Will be held thereto by its own elasticity thus protecting the vital parts of the head.

EDWARD LARKIN. 

